An 80-year-old Connecticut grandmother survived lung cancer surgery with no complications, only to die days later after hospital staff allegedly gave her the wrong food during recovery, according to a new lawsuit.
Carol Polifka, of Shelton, had gone to St. Vincent’s Medical Center in Bridgeport on Jan. 23, 2024, for a robotic-assisted lung procedure. Her family says the surgery itself went well.
But the lawsuit, filed by her son, claims the real danger came afterward, when nurses allegedly failed to follow strict diet orders meant to keep her from choking or aspirating food into her lungs.
According to the complaint, Polifka was supposed to receive “easy to chew” foods and “mildly thick liquids” after a speech-language pathologist found she had trouble swallowing and was at high risk of aspiration.
That meant she needed a modified diet, close supervision while eating, small bites, slow intake, upright positioning, and careful monitoring for signs of coughing, fatigue, or trouble swallowing.
Instead, the lawsuit claims nurses served and documented that Polifka received “regular” meal trays on at least two shifts, even though there was no doctor’s order upgrading her diet.
The complaint says this allegedly violated the active diet order and put Polifka in danger.
Polifka was especially vulnerable, according to the lawsuit, because of her age, lung disease, obesity, recent surgery, postoperative confusion, and breathing complications after anesthesia.
Before the speech-language pathologist evaluated her, nurses had allegedly advanced her diet from clear liquids to solid foods without first performing a bedside swallowing screen or requesting a consultation.
When the specialist finally evaluated her on Jan. 27, the lawsuit says Polifka was found to have swallowing problems and a high likelihood of aspirating thin liquids.
Despite that warning, the complaint says she was later served a regular diet.
On Jan. 30, a respiratory therapist allegedly documented “copious amounts” of vomiting into Polifka’s airway during suctioning. Later that day, she reportedly had another vomiting episode and developed worsening respiratory failure.
She went into cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead.
The lawsuit claims Polifka suffered aspiration pneumonia after food or stomach contents entered her lungs. A nurse who reviewed the case for the family said there was evidence of medical negligence by the nursing staff.
The Connecticut Medical Examiner listed her cause of death as infectious complications tied to her lung surgery and classified the manner of death as therapeutic complications, according to the complaint.
Attorney Patrick Filan, who represents Polifka’s family, told the Hartford Courant that the tragedy was especially painful because her surgery had gone well.
“It’s not a case where the operation went wrong, it is basic postoperative attention to detail where she was let down,” Filan said.
He added that elderly patients rely heavily on hospital staff, and in this case, the family believes Polifka was failed.
A spokesperson for Hartford HealthCare, which operates St. Vincent’s Medical Center, offered condolences to the family but said the organization could not comment on pending litigation.
“Our heartfelt thoughts and deepest sympathies are with the family at this time,” the spokesperson said.